Philosophy Courses | Boston University Summer Term

  • Introduction to Philosophy

    CAS PH 100

    Introduces the nature of philosophical activity through careful study of major philosophical topics. Topics may include the nature of reality, knowledge, God’s existence, and the significance of human life. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3020

    Summer 1
    (May 24-June 30)

    A1 (LEC) Mon./Tues./Thurs. 1-3:30 pm Add & Drop Dates

    … Open Seats

    Location: CAS 213

    Leticia Castillo Brache

    Summer 2 seven-week course
    (July 5-August 19)

    OL (LEC) Arranged Add & Drop Dates

    (DIS) Mon./Thurs. 11 am-12 noon

    … Open Seats

    Walter Hopp

    Online Course

    NotesMeets online every Mon & Thurs 11 am-12 noon Edt for a live class. Non-standard course dates

    Meets online every Mon & Thurs 11 am-12 noon Edt for a live class. Non-standard course dates

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  • Introduction to Ethics

    CAS PH 150

    Many of us want to lead meaningful lives. But what is it for a life to be meaningful? What makes some lives better or more meaningful than others? Can life as a whole have some significance or meaning? Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3020

    Summer 2
    (July 5-August 11)

    B1 (IND) Mon./Tues./Thurs. 6-8:30 pm Add & Drop Dates

    … Open Seats

    Location: STH B19

    Federica Bocchi

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  • Politics and Philosophy

    CAS PH 155

    Online offering. What is justice? What are the foundations of property rights, liberty, and equality? Are anarchism and utopianism defensible? This course is an introduction to major themes and questions in political philosophy. It includes a study of classical and modern texts, as well as contemporary political issues. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3020

    Summer 1 seven-week course
    (May 17-July 1)

    OL (LEC) Arranged Add & Drop Dates

    (DIS) Mon./Wed. 9-10 am

    … Open Seats

    Susanne Sreedhar

    Online Course

    NotesMeets online every Mon & Wed 9-10 am Edt for a live class. Non-standard course dates

    Meets online every Mon & Wed 9-10 am Edt for a live class. Non-standard course dates

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  • Reasoning and Argumentation

    CAS PH 160

    A systematic study of the principles of both deductive and informal reasoning, calculated to enhance students’ actual reasoning skills, with an emphasis on reasoning and argumentation in ordinary discourse. Emphasizes argumentation and criticism in ordinary life and also presents formal models of reasoning designed to elicit underlying patterns and structures of reasoning and argumentation that are widely applicable. Includes simultaneous training in the skills of argument analysis, argument pattern recognition, argument construction, and argument interpretation and creation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3020

    Summer 2
    (July 5-August 11)

    B1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 9 am-12:30 pm Add & Drop Dates

    … Open Seats

    Location: STH B19

    Juliet Floyd

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  • Medical Ethics

    CAS PH 251

    Surveys ethical issues that arise in connection with medicine and emerging biotechnologies. Examines topics such as the right to healthcare, research on human subjects, euthanasia, abortion, cloning, genetic selection, disabilities, and the biomedical enhancement of human capacities. Students can expect to gain not only training in the concepts and methods of moral philosophy and the logic of argumentation, but also the resources needed for assessing ethically difficult questions that healthcare professionals routinely face. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3020

    Summer 1
    (May 24-June 30)

    A1 (IND) Mon./Tues./Thurs. 6-8:30 pm Add & Drop Dates

    … Open Seats

    Location: STH B19

    Rachell Powell

    Summer 2
    (July 5-August 11)

    B1 (IND) Mon./Tues./Thurs. 6-8:30 pm Add & Drop Dates

    … Open Seats

    Location: STH 113

    Kenneth Richman

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  • Mind, Brain, and Self

    CAS PH 266

    Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120). Explores the relationships among consciousness, the mind, the brain, the nature of the self or person, and other related topics. Also examines whether and to what extent these issues can be addressed by contemporary natural science. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3020

    Summer 2
    (July 5-August 11)

    B1 (IND) Mon./Tues./Thurs. 1-3:30 pm Add & Drop Dates

    … Open Seats

    Location: STH B19

    Jack Harris

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  • History of Ancient Philosophy

    CAS PH 300

    Prereq: one philosophy course or sophomore standing and First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120). A survey of ancient Greek philosophy, with an emphasis on Plato and Aristotle. Topics include the fundamental nature of reality, how we know anything about it, wisdom, virtue, and human happiness. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. 4 cr. Tuition: $3020

    Summer 1
    (May 24-June 30)

    A1 (IND) Mon./Tues./Thurs. 9:30 am-12 noon Add & Drop Dates

    … Open Seats

    Location: STH B19

    Curtis Snyder

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  • History of Modern Philosophy

    CAS PH 310

    Prereq: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. An examination of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century philosophy from Descartes to Kant, with emphasis on the nature and extent of knowledge. Readings include Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Berkley, Hume, and Kant. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Research and Information Literacy. 4 cr. Tuition: $3020

    Summer 2
    (July 6-August 10)

    B1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 1-4:30 pm Add & Drop Dates

    … Open Seats

    Location: CAS 315

    Lewis Wang

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